I had similar problems after my bike was blown over onto the gearlever side, during the gales- finding neutral and going up to third, then seq down, wouldn't go into 1st if I'd managed to get her up into third.
3 things on mine-
1The link rod was bent (straigtened this using hobby vices (!) and my bare hands- ugh!)- though fixing this didn't really make much difference.
2 The chain was loose (the previous rider must have been a little heavier than me...!). Though again, didn't really fix things.
3 The footrest was loose on the hanger (the gearlever pivots on this) and the gearlever practically seized (sat in a dealer's showroom for months?)
Try moving the lever- does the footrest move with it? If so, take the whole unit off the frame (unscrewing the linkage rod while doing this) and tightening the nut up that fixes the pedals to the hanger, while manipulating the lever to ensure it's not too stiff (oo-er!).
If this still doesn't fix it, the rod through the gearbox may have been damaged (possible if your lever was bent in the fall)- see a mechanic/Consult Mr Haynes.
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